The Secret of Spellshadow Manor (Spellshadow Manor #1)

“But why on earth would she do that?” he asked, bewildered.

“I asked her about necromancy. But she thought I was trying to learn something daunting, to impress a boy. And then she did this to me!”

Alex frowned. “That seems like a strange thing to do, change your face so much. Makeup is one thing, but this…I mean, I thought you looked pretty before.”

She glanced at him through her fingers, then lowered her hands.

“Really?” she asked, the natural sparkle in her eye visible through the glamor.

“Yeah,” he said, feeling suddenly embarrassed but glad at least that she’d stopped crying. “This looks weird to me. I hope it wears off soon.”

“Well,” she sniffed, “I hope so too.” But she looked a little happier.

“Did she say anything about necromancy?” Alex asked, hoping it had at least been a productive visit.

Natalie let out a long sigh, drooping and leaning her chin on her hand. “No. It was a dead end.”

The two of them had spent the entire previous day scouring the library for anything on the subject. There wasn’t so much as a book referencing the topic, however. Ultimately, it had been Jari who’d confirmed that the magic did exist, but that the methods had simply been locked away from students.

“It’s a mystery,” he’d said with his usual theatrical tones. “Nobody knows why!”

Alex, of course, had some idea why. It had to do with a long-dead lord of the manor continuing to walk around.

Alex heard the sound of footsteps approaching them, and swiveled. He was surprised to find Jari looking down on them with a frown on his face. He strode up to the table, and Natalie rolled her head to look at him.

“Sorry to interrupt, uh, whatever this is,” Jari said, “but can I borrow Alex for a bit?”

Natalie could probably use some more cheering up, but Alex rose anyway. There was something off about Jari. The boy’s usual vigor had vanished, leaving him strangely listless. Also, outside of class, it was somewhat rare to see him without Aamir.

“We’ll have to finish our talk later,” Alex told Natalie apologetically, and she nodded, her eyes flicking to Jari. He was staring outside at the rain, his eyes shrouded. Alex had to take him by the sleeve and give him a shake to get his attention.

“Huh?”

“Jari. What’s wrong?”

Jari smiled. “Just something I wanted you to take a look at. Come along!”

He made his customary grab for Alex’s hand, and Alex followed him out of the library. A glance back told him that Natalie was attempting to remove the “beauty charm” herself, looking focused. She would be fine.

They had been walking for a few minutes when Alex realized they weren’t heading back to the dorms.

“Where are we going?” he asked. “Where’s Aamir?”

Jari sighed, shooting a look over at Alex. “I need to ask you something,” he said. “And you aren’t in trouble. I just need you to be honest with me.”

Alex nodded slowly. “Okay, shoot.”

“Did you talk to Aamir about graduation?”

The question hung in the air for a time.

“I suppose,” Alex said. “But it was a while ago—and just in passing.”

Silence.

“I thought that might have triggered it,” Jari said.

Alex found himself almost jogging to keep up with Jari, who may have been small, but didn’t lack for speed.

He waved a hand in the air, his fingers twisting like talons. “Aamir,” he said, “he’s…well, he gets stressed out about graduation. You may have not noticed, but I’ve noticed that, gradually, he’s been throwing himself into his studies more and more of late. It’s gotten to the point where he’s getting…really strange notions.”

Alex blinked. “Isn’t that just Aamir?” he asked. “He always seems intense.”

“To an extent,” Jari admitted. “But this—well, I’ll just let you see.”

Jari led Alex through a door out onto the grounds, through the same exit that led to the older gardens and the cellar. Before Alex could even cover his head against the rain, a shimmering barrier of light burst into life around them, and without so much as breaking stride, Jari made his way across the muddy lawn.

Alex’s boots squelched as they walked, and he looked up in wonder at where the rain was ricocheting away from them. He was about to say something appreciative when a drop of rain punched through, spattering on his cheek. He looked over at Jari, but the boy didn’t seem to notice that his spell was anything but flawless. His eyes were downcast, his hands balled into fists.

They reached the cellar, and Jari motioned for Alex to stand back as he leaned down. As he shoved the layer of ivy back from the door, his magic winked out, and Alex found himself abruptly drenched in rain. Jari threw open the hatch, seeming not to notice, and Alex was about to step forward when a roar of energy split the air. He staggered back a step, feet slipping in the mud, and Jari pointed two fingers down into the cellar. A burst of light flashed from his fingertips, and for a moment a bright, clear glow emitted from the hole.

“Okay,” Jari said. “Go on in.”

Alex looked at him, dubious. “Aren’t you coming?”

Jari sniffed. “It’s your turn. He’s not being sensible.” Alex supposed he would just have to see for himself whatever was going on with Aamir.





Chapter 21





He found the ladder warm and dry, in spite of the rain. As he descended, the cold was replaced by a searing heat, causing sweat to prickle out over his back and arms. The air in front of him rippled, and he was starting to feel a little lightheaded by the time he dropped down into the cellar.